How to Delete Templates in Shopify (Without Breaking Your Store)
Introduction
If you’ve been customizing your Shopify theme for a while, you might have accumulated a few unused templates: product layouts, page designs, or test variations that no longer serve a purpose. Deleting these can help declutter your theme and speed up your store. However, it’s important to know which templates are safe to delete and which ones are essential for your store’s core functionality.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know, from identifying default templates that should stay intact, and also you will learn how to delete templates in shopify step by step inside your Shopify code editor. You’ll also learn what happens when you delete a template and how to prevent layout errors after cleanup.
- Templates determine the overall layout, styling, and content presentation for different page types, ensuring visual consistency across your store.
- You can customize templates by adding, removing, or rearranging sections and blocks within the Shopify theme editor.
- Creating a custom template for a specific page, like a product or collection, allows you to apply a unique design to it. This is useful for products with different features or for pages that require a different layout from the default.
- You can assign templates to individual pages, and changes you make to a template will appear on all pages using it.
You can customize templates by adding, removing, or rearranging sections and blocks within the Shopify Theme Editor.
Default templates, Shopify Theme must have
Several essential templates are required for your Shopify store to function properly. These templates control important pages such as the homepage, product pages, collections, and the cart. Deleting any of these templates can cause parts of your store to stop working or display incorrectly. Therefore, it’s important not to remove or modify these templates unless you fully understand their purpose and impact on the store’s layout and functionality. Some of these are listed below.
- Index.json
- 404.json
- Blog.json
- Article.json
- Product.json
- Collection.json
- List-collection.json
- Cart.json
- gift_card.liquid
- Page.json
- page.contact.json
- Password.json
- Search.json
Customer templates that should not be deleted are listed below.
- Account.json
- Activate_account.json
- Addresses.json
- Login.json
- Order.json
- Register.json
- reset_password.json
Things to know before deleting a template
Before deleting a template, back up your data, determine if any pages are currently using it, and consider the impact on those pages, as they will revert to a default template. Deleting a template is often irreversible, and all associated content and data may be permanently removed. Always confirm with your team or administrator before deleting.
How to Delete a Template in Shopify step by step
To delete a Shopify template, navigate to Online Store > Themes, click Actions on your theme, and select Edit code. From there, find and open the Templates folder, and click the template you want to delete. Before you delete, it's a good practice to back up your theme and check that the template isn't in use on any live pages. Follow these steps to delete a template from your Shopify Store.
Step 1: Navigate to Online Store > Themes > Edit code.
Step 2: Scroll down to the templates folder.
Step 3: Select the template from the list that you want to delete.
Step 4: Right-click on it and click the Delete permanently button.
Step 5: Confirm the delete process in the pop-up window.
Step 6: Make sure to back up your data before deleting the template.
Also Read: How to Remove Checkout Bag in Shopify (Step-by-Step Guide)
Conclusion
Deleting unused templates in Shopify is a quick way to simplify your theme structure and maintain faster performance, but it’s not something to do blindly. Always back up your theme, make sure no active pages are using the file, and never remove default templates (like product.json or index.json). A clean, well-organized theme makes editing, testing, and scaling your Shopify store much smoother in the long run. You learn a complete guide on how to delete templates in shopify step by step.
For a complete design and optimization overhaul, consider exploring Shopify Custom Theme Development Services or our Shopify Website Maintenance Support.
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